Earth science news covering geology, seismology, volcanology, plate tectonics, and planetary surface processes.
At the 13th National Conference on Earthquake Engineering in Portland, experts called for more coordination and investment to prepare for the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. Oregon's resilience officer noted only five of 4,000 state-owned buildings would survive a major quake.
This commentary describes the rare atmospheric phenomenon of sprites, large flashes of light that occur high above thunderstorms. It explains how sprites form after strong cloud-to-ground lightning strikes and notes that they are harmless and difficult to observe with the naked eye. The piece highlights the increasing capture of sprites with modern camera technology.
T Srinivasa Kumar has been appointed as the new Secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences for a two-year term. He previously led the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System secretariat in Perth and was project director of India's tsunami early warning system.